School profile
Dutch secondary school system.
Children in the Netherlands begin primary school at the age of four. They stay at primary school until they are approximately twelve years old. All schools are open to all children; no examinations or selection procedures take place. However, schools based on religion expect parents and children to endorse the principles of the school.
When children are in their final year they take a test. This test measures the pupil’s Maths, Dutch and global knowledge. Partially based on the results of this tests, the primary school gives an advice as to the type of secondary education they should pursue. Children who want to go to a VWO (grammar school) are required to score the highest levels. Only 10% of the children qualify for VWO.
All courses taken at a VWO school are at the highest level possible, comparable to A-level
in England or AP courses in the United States.
Dutch VWO pupils go to school 25 hours a week and 40 weeks a year. They are also expected to
spend 15 hours a week on their homework. The VWO curriculum prepares pupils for university,
only the VWO diploma grants access to universities.
All pupils who graduate from secondary school receive a graduation list with subjects they
graduated in and the grades they obtained for these subjects. This list is an important
factor in the admission process of Dutch universities.
Fifty percent of the final examinations in secondary education are the so-called CE examinations. The level of these examinations is government controlled, which makes it possible to compare the results of pupils from different schools and to determine the educational level of schools.
Utrechts Stedelijk Gymnasium (USG)
Utrechts Stedelijk Gymnasium is one of the oldest grammar schools in the Netherlands. The school was founded in the year 1474. Our school is located in the centre of Utrecht. Thenumber of pupils is circa 750 . Sixty percent of our pupils are from surrounding villages. As we are a public school, pupils with all possible religious backgrounds attend our school.
The USG is one of the most prestigious public VWO schools in the Netherlands. More than 90% of our students continue their studies at universities in the Netherlands or abroad. This is 70-80% at most other grammar schools. Our students belong to the top students at universities.
Thanks to the good results and good name of the school we were forced to turn down a (great) number of pupils who applied and who met the stated requirements over the last two years. Those rejected candidates have been placed at the other grammar schools in Utrecht.
We offer courses in a wide range of academic subjects. We force our students to take more
courses compared to other grammar schools. Next to the extra courses, we stimulate students
to participate in extra-curricular activities, for example
- to follow extra courses in foreign languages such as Spanish, Chinese.
- to participate in exchange programmes with Italy or the Czech Republic.
- to participate in community service.
- to participate in school life. We have flourishing commissions for music, theatre,
debating, sports, arts, the school paper.
- to participate in having a say in school decisions at all levels: appointments of
new teachers or headmaster/deputy headmaster, quality of education etc..
- to participate in national competitions. Various pupils have received awards for this.
Please download the English flyer (pdf).
